By the time he walked in, Lamarcus Lindsay had already started the halftime speech.
Lindsay also had the final word in the Wolverines' thrilling 64-63 overtime road victory.
The junior guard made the eventual game-winning free throw with 15.1 seconds to play in overtime and came up with a steal at halfcourt to seal the victory.
Lindsay finished with 23 points, 20 coming in the second half.
“He's been a leader all year,” Thompson said. “The guys responded to his intensity. He got a couple of shots to fall, got a couple of steals and you could see him trying to pick up everybody out there.”
It took contributions from Lindsay and others to stave off the Eagles.
Newberry Academy led by as many as nine in the second half, and was ahead 55-53 with 13.5 seconds to play in regulation and Whitmire having possession on its side of the floor, on the sideline.
The Eagles were late getting on the floor and the official put the ball in play before their defense was set.
The Wolverines took advantage as Alan Michael Glenn scored and was fouled with 9.7 seconds to play after a missed layup by Lindsay.
Glenn missed the subsequent layup, and it appeared as if a Newberry Academy player was being fouled in the backcourt, but the officials granted the Eagles a timeout just before the foul occurred.
Newberry Academy couldn't score in the waning seconds of regulation.
“This game was so good, that not that many moments stand out except for one,” Newberry Academy coach Scott Gardner said. “Thirteen seconds to go, we're up by three, it's a sideline out of bounds for them, and they get an and-one. That was tough.”
The Wolverines led by as many as six in the overtime session before the Eagles made one last rally in the final minute, despite already having four key players foul out.
Jamal Rebuteau's three-point play after drilling a floater in the lane cut Whitmire's lead to 63-60 with a minute to play.
After a steal by Newberry Academy's Derek Sligh, guard Thomas Carlson buried a game-tying 3-pointer in the corner to tie the game with 25 seconds on the clock.
Carlson finished the game with 19 points, including four 3-pointers.
Rebuteau added 17 points, including three from long-distance.
“The game was back-and-forth,” Gardner said. “I'm happy that my kids were able to compete as hard as they did. If we can compete like that all year, we're going to be fine. That was a good game to watch for the fans and a good game to coach in. I wish at times that I'd been in the stands watching the game. It was that much fun.”
Jarrell Ruff-Smalls continued his strong start to the season for Whitmire with 16 points, while Joseph Brown added nine.
The Wolverines played much of the game without point guard P.J. Davis. Davis suffered a high-ankle sprain early in the first half and never returned. Thompson said that his point guard should be available for tomorrow's game against Mid-Carolina.
Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. in Prosperity.
Friday's victory was the first this season for Whitmire after losses to Newberry and Saluda to open the year.
“We love playing Newberry and trying to step to that challenge,” Thompson said. “We've played the two best teams we're going to face all year in our first two games. To come in and get a win will give us some confidence going into Mid-Carolina.”
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